Charism in the Church

Charism is a hot contemporary issue. The growing interest in the charisms is one of the significant religious developments of our time. Opinions on charisms vary to a remarkable degree. Unfortunately, in some cases, diverse viewpoints have led to confusion among Christians. On the positive side though, this developing interest in charisms has contributed to spiritual renewal and stimulated biblical research in this most important area of the Church’s life. The exponential growth of the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movement throughout the world and especially in Africa urged led to choice of this topic on charisms. In the Charismatic/Pentecostal Movements the issue of charisms is very vital and extremely important. It is at the centre of its spirituality and practice. This Movement has spread to almost all major Christian confessions/denominations and continues to attract many followers.
This work is unique among the many studies written on the charisms. Even though the subject of charisms has received some scholarly attention, most have not delved into the role of the charisms in the Church from Pauline perspective as this study does. The following observations and reasons demonstrate that it is still meaningful and worthwhile to study charisms in Pauline letters.